戸倉上山田温泉の旅館組合の行事で我々旅館が当番で見にギャラリーを開いています。今回の作品が、何と、我宿です。今月から３月末まで東京の版画家、金子邦夫先生、の作品がうちのロビーで展示しております。金子先生の作品はどちらかというと、我々欧米人のほうがなじみやすいかもしれません。ご気楽でご覧になってください。
The Ryokan Assoc. here at Togura Kamiyamada Onsen has a project where we inns take turns hosting a mini-gallery. From now until the end of March, it's Kamesei's turn. We are proud to display the wood block prints of Tokyo artist Kunio Kaneko in our lobby. Kaneko-sensei's designs tend to appeal to us Westerners. If you get a chance, please come and enjoy.
亀清旅館のＨＰはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan's website

亀清の近辺にこの建物が工事中です。何になるかと聞いたら、なんと｢郵便貯金箱会館｣だそうです。地元の西沢薬局さんが全国で二番目に多い貯金箱の集まりがあって、そして展示する為に態々この建物を建てています。ちょうど上山田温泉の中央公園の桜が咲く頃に完成の見込みだそうです。花見のついでに貯金箱をどうぞ、ご覧になってください。
Nearby Kamesei Ryokan, this building is being constructed. I found out it will be the 'Postal Savings Box Hall'. In other words, a museum for piggy banks. Mr. Nishizawa, a local pharmacist, has individually compiled the 2nd largest collection of piggy banks in the country. So this hall will display his collection. It is expected to be finished just in time for cherry blossom season, so come enjoy 'hanami' at Chuo Park behind our inn, and check out the piggy banks, too!

「どんど焼」という名前が燃えている竹の音からだと聞きました。今日の上山田温泉の千曲川沿いのに子供とお客さんを連れて行きましたが、名前変更が必要だと思いました：「どんどんどんどんど焼き」の方が良いのではないかと。音が凄かったですよ！感動的でした。（その後の炭で焼かれた御餅と川魚も美味しかった！ご馳走様でした！）
Whoever named this event 'Don-do Yaki' had it wrong. Our town holds the annual burning of the New Years decorations down on the banks of the Chikuma River, and I took our two sons and some guests to go see it. After the pyre was lit, the sound of the burning bamboo popping was more like 'Don-Don-Don-Don-Do'! It was really impressive! (And the 'mochi' sticky rice and river fish cooked over the coals were delicious, too!) For those of you who missed it, there's always next year.

戸倉上山田温泉の銀座通りが注目されている町興しで盛り上がっています。その代表イベントは今日行いました：餅つき大会。私も参加しました。薪割りと似ていますね。

The Ginza here in our Togura Kamiyamada Onsen town is going through an energetic process of renewal. The feature event is the annual Mochi Making party. I got to participate, too. All those muscles I developed chopping wood came in handy!

松本の増山さんが「ＮａｇａＫｎｏｗ」という英字マンスリーをやりだした。私が応援で、記事を定期的に提出しています。今回は1月13日に行う予定のどんど焼の事。詳しくはhttp://www.nagaknow.com/Don-Doh-Yaki-jp.htm

A guy in Matsumoto named Ken is publishing an English monthly called Naga-Know. I'm hoping to help out by submitting articles from time to time. This month's article is about an event coming up on 13-January called Don-Doh Yaki. You can check it out at http://www.nagaknow.com/Don-Doh-Yaki-e.htm

昨日のからころ勉強会のついで、今日は具体的に何をするかと言う話し合いでした。案の段階だけですけど、目的が戸倉上山田温泉の歴史を大事にしながら、周辺の川辺と山々を行かせること。私は特に千曲川の事を考えています。現在はこの町が川を背中にしている。この素晴らしい川とのふれあいを増やしたい。従って、この案を出しました。
Following yesterday's study session, today we had another meeting for the Kara-Koro Project, the purpose of which was to make some concrete proposals for how to proceed with livening up the town. We're still at the proposal stage, but the goal is to build on the onsen's history while making better use of the surrounding mountains and river. I especially think we need to better utilize the Chikuma River. Right now, the town is putting the river to its back. We need more interaction with this spectacular river, hence this proposal.

戸倉上山田温泉は長野県から協力金を頂きまして、「からころ」という町興し行事が行っています。もちろん、この青い目の若旦那も参加している。今日は温泉資料館で勉強会を。滝沢先生に言われて、一番感動したのは「この資料館は物を見せる為ではなく、その物の向こうの事を感じさせる為だ」との事。
Togura Kamiyamada Onsen is receiving some support money from Nagano Prefecture, hence our current 'Kara-Koro' Project to improve our town. ('Kara-Koro' is the sound wooden 'geta' sandals make, with the idea to get people out and about to liven up the town.) The thing that most impressed me by Prof. Takizawa's talk was 'The purpose of this History Museum isn't to display objects -- it's to get people to think of the world behind those objects.'
亀清旅館のHPはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan's website.

戸倉上山田温泉の真ん中の公園で灯篭と和風イルミネーションの祭が今日から、バレンタインズディーまで行います。私達旅館青年部が飾り付け作業を致しましたので是非、このウインターマジックをご覧になってください。
The park in the middle of our onsen town, from now until St. Valentine's Day, is lit up at night with illumination featuring Japanese 'toro'. The other junior innkeepers and I put them up over the last couple of days. Come enjoy Togura Kamiyamada Onsen's winter magic!
亀清旅館のHPはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan's website.

朝早く長男を連れて、小学校への通学待ち合わせの場所へ行った帰り、近所のおばさんが野沢菜を漬けていました。「親戚の皆にあげるからいっぱい作る」と言う。うちの母親のピクルズを漬ける事を思い出した。太田さん、頑張って下さいね。
On the way back from taking our son to his meeting place for the walk to school, I saw our neighbor doing her annual preparations for 'nozawana', our local pickled vegetable specialty. It reminded me of my mom pickling cucumbers. Ota-san, keep up the good work!
亀清旅館のHPはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan website

戸倉上山田温泉の周辺のりんご農園は今ふじりんごのピークです。今朝はお客さんを連れて行きましたので娘さんのなみちゃんが美味しく食べていました。
In the areas around our onsen, there are many apple orchards. Some offer u-pick. This morning, I took some guests to one of the orchards, and their daughter, Nami, enjoyed tasting the fresh-picked fuji apples.
亀清旅館のHPはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan website.